RaumArs Takes Art Beyond the Gallery

RaumArs is an international artist-in-residence programme based in Rauma, Finland. The programme has been running for 28 years and is operated by the non-profit association RaumArs ry. The Erkki Paasikivi Foundation supports RaumArs through its cultural grants.

Many of the artists-in-residence at RaumArs carry out community art projects. In community art, the essence lies in the interaction between the artist and the participants, through which the artwork is created. In addition to community artists, the residency also hosts artists working independently.

“An important part of our mission is to bring art to the people. Our artists often work, for example, in school classrooms and with the elderly. We especially strive to reach those who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to experience art,” says Hannele Kolsio, the Executive Director of RaumArs for the past 19 years.

“What sets us apart from many other associations is that we do this for the sake of others.”

For many years, the RaumArs residency was located in Old Rauma, next to the ruins of the Holy Trinity Church. In January 2025, RaumArs relocated to the historic Seppä House, next to the Rauma City Library.

The new space is called Taidetalo RaumArs (Art House RaumArs), and in addition to the residency facilities, it includes a gallery where both residency artists and other artists can exhibit their work. The spaces at the Art House provide a natural setting for encounters and dialogue between artists and the public.

The residency artists collaborate with local people and various organizations, and at times, the projects also extend to other parts of the Satakunta region.

”In the Luminous Letters project by Canadian poet Roseline Lambert, the artist collected old photographs from museum archives in the Satakunta region and turned them into postcards. In workshops led by Lambert, elderly residents of Rauma wrote their own poems on the cards, which were then sent to seventh-grade students at Nanu School and pupils at the French School of Rauma. The students, in turn, wrote their own postcards and sent them back to the elderly participants.”

“For the seventh graders, it was a completely new experience—none of them had ever placed a stamp or posted anything in a mailbox before!” Kolsio reflects.

Taking part in creating art may even teach you a new skill.

“For example, a young boy who participated in one of the community artworks became so inspired by dance that he started pursuing it seriously,” Kolsio says.

Community artworks can offer participants profoundly meaningful artistic experiences that may not always be reflected in numbers, such as visitor counts. RaumArs also runs projects that attract wide audiences, including film screenings, concerts, art exhibitions, and public artworks. With its multidisciplinary residency programme and new gallery, RaumArs brings a rich variety of cultural experiences to the Satakunta region—and its impact is far-reaching.

One of the main missions of the Erkki Paasikivi Foundation is to support the cultural life of Rauma. That same spirit lies at the heart of RaumArs as well. When Kolsio is asked what she values most in Rauma’s cultural scene, her answer is clear: collaboration.

“In Rauma, everyone in the art scene is eager to collaborate, because we all share the same goal—art. The new Art House and its central location make it possible to carry out a wide range of joint projects with other event organizers,” Kolsio explains.

“Rauma is also just the right size—a place where almost everyone knows everyone. I might, for example, run into a teacher on the street or at the market, and they’ll ask if there’s an artist coming to the residency who could work with a theme they’re exploring,” Kolsio says.

The Erkki Paasikivi Foundation is RaumArs’s second largest supporter. Its cultural grant differs from typical arts funding in that it is not tied to any specific, narrowly defined project. This has allowed RaumArs to use the grant to support its core operations as well as to make necessary purchases for its gallery, for example.

“The foundation’s support hasn’t only been financial—it’s also been deeply encouraging on a personal level, giving us the confidence to move forward and take on bold initiatives like establishing the Art House,” Kolsio says.

“RaumArs trusts the artists it selects. And it feels like the foundation, in turn, trusts RaumArs,” she says with appreciation.

The foundation aims to strengthen its collaboration with RaumArs even further in the coming years. The goal is to ensure that cultural activities in Rauma remain vibrant and accessible to as many people as possible.